Jonathan Torrens
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Ormond Torrens is a Canadian actor
and television personality best known for his co-hosting of Street Cents
, his talk show Jonovision
, and his role as "J-Roc" in the popular Canadian
mockumentary
Trailer Park Boys
. In October 2009, Torrens began hosting TV with TV's Jonathan Torrens
, a comedic newsmagazine program broadcast on the TVtropolis
network.
, Prince Edward Island
. His sister is actress and playwright Jackie Torrens
. Torrens is married with one child.
's teen-oriented consumer affairs series Street Cents
from 1989 until 1996. He then went on to host, co-produce and write for his own teen-oriented talk show
, Jonovision
, from 1996 until 2001.
In 1998 he played David in Beefcake
, a movie about 1950s muscle magazines and their connection with the homosexual community. The same year, he won a Gemini
in the category of Best Short Dramatic Program for his work on Nan's Taxi. In 1999, he hosted and narrated a 33 minute docudrama on the consequences of impaired driving for the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) called When Choices Collide. In 2001 he played Tony Moressa on the show Pit Pony
and had two appearances on Royal Canadian Air Farce
as 'The Clean Cut Keen SportsNet Guy'. From there he went on to play Daniel VanDusen on Rideau Hall
in 2002 and had a guest appearance on This Hour Has 22 Minutes
. In 2003, he starred in the CBC six episode mini-series Jonathan Crosses Canada, in which he travelled across Canada in a Winnebago
.
During the summer of 2004 he starred as "The Gotta-be-Gay-Guy" on the Spike TV
mock reality show, Joe Schmo 2, and has made appearances on the shows The Greatest Canadian
and 50 Most Outrageous TV Moments. In 2005 he played Mike in Dirty Love
, a romantic comedy starring Playboy
playmates Jenny McCarthy
and Carmen Electra
that held six nominations for the 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards
and won the award for Worst Picture.
He also played Shane McKay, Emma Nelson
's biological father on Degrassi: The Next Generation
. Torrens had a recurring role as J-Roc on the television series Trailer Park Boys
. He also appeared in both of the Trailer Park Boys movies. In November and December 2008 Jonathan was the guest host of several episodes of the CBC radio show Definitely Not the Opera
.
In 2008 he appeared in the award-winning short film Treevenge
, directed by Jason Eisener.
In 2009, Torrens debuted in his own television show called TV With TV's Jonathan Torrens on Canadian specialty network TVtropolis
. As of 2010, Torrens is one of the co-hosts of the reality television
series Wipeout Canada
, which also airs on TVtropolis.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and television personality best known for his co-hosting of Street Cents
Street Cents
Street Cents is a teen-themed newsmagazine TV series that originally aired on CBC Television between 1989 and 2006. It was one of a few shows focused on consumer and media awareness for young people. The series was created by producer John Nowlan. He cites Britain's Pocket Money as one of the...
, his talk show Jonovision
Jonovision
Jonovision is a Canadian television talk show aimed toward teenagers. The show aired for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001, on CBC Television. Jonovision was nominated for 4 Gemini Awards. It reached the top of its popularity at the end of its fourth season, when it hosted a Degrassi reunion...
, and his role as "J-Roc" in the popular Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
. In October 2009, Torrens began hosting TV with TV's Jonathan Torrens
TV with TV's Jonathan Torrens
TV with TV's Jonathan Torrens is a Canadian comedic newsmagazine-styled television program that debuted on the TVtropolis network on October 9, 2009. The show features Jonathan Torrens of Trailer Park Boys and Street Cents fame "break down the complicated scope of television by dissecting the...
, a comedic newsmagazine program broadcast on the TVtropolis
TVtropolis
TVtropolis is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media and Rogers Media.The channel operates two time shifted feeds: East and West .-Programming:...
network.
Personal life
Torrens was born in CharlottetownCharlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. His sister is actress and playwright Jackie Torrens
Jackie Torrens
Jackie Torrens is a Canadian writer, actor, and journalist, best known for her CBC radio and television appearances, and for acting roles in the television series Made in Canada and Robson Arms...
. Torrens is married with one child.
Career
Torrens's past work includes co-hosting CBC TelevisionCBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
's teen-oriented consumer affairs series Street Cents
Street Cents
Street Cents is a teen-themed newsmagazine TV series that originally aired on CBC Television between 1989 and 2006. It was one of a few shows focused on consumer and media awareness for young people. The series was created by producer John Nowlan. He cites Britain's Pocket Money as one of the...
from 1989 until 1996. He then went on to host, co-produce and write for his own teen-oriented talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
, Jonovision
Jonovision
Jonovision is a Canadian television talk show aimed toward teenagers. The show aired for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001, on CBC Television. Jonovision was nominated for 4 Gemini Awards. It reached the top of its popularity at the end of its fourth season, when it hosted a Degrassi reunion...
, from 1996 until 2001.
In 1998 he played David in Beefcake
Beefcake (film)
Beefcake is a docu-drama homage to the muscle magazines of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s—in particular, Physique Pictorial magazine, published by Bob Mizer of the Athletic Model Guild. It was inspired by a picture book by F...
, a movie about 1950s muscle magazines and their connection with the homosexual community. The same year, he won a Gemini
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
in the category of Best Short Dramatic Program for his work on Nan's Taxi. In 1999, he hosted and narrated a 33 minute docudrama on the consequences of impaired driving for the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) called When Choices Collide. In 2001 he played Tony Moressa on the show Pit Pony
Pit Pony (TV series)
Pit Pony is a 1999 CBC television series which tells the story of small-town life in Glace Bay, on the island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1904. The plot line revolves around the lives of the families of the men and boys who work in the coal mines....
and had two appearances on Royal Canadian Air Farce
Royal Canadian Air Farce
Air Farce Live, also credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Air Farce—Final Flight! for the final season, was a Canadian comedy series starring the comedy troupe The Royal Canadian Air Farce that previously starred in an eponymous radio show on CBC radio from 1973 to 1997...
as 'The Clean Cut Keen SportsNet Guy'. From there he went on to play Daniel VanDusen on Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall (TV series)
Rideau Hall is a Canadian television series broadcast begun in 2002 on CBC Television. It starred Bette MacDonald, Fiona Reid, Jonathan Torrens, Joe Dinicol, and Rejean Cournoyer....
in 2002 and had a guest appearance on This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
. In 2003, he starred in the CBC six episode mini-series Jonathan Crosses Canada, in which he travelled across Canada in a Winnebago
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
.
During the summer of 2004 he starred as "The Gotta-be-Gay-Guy" on the Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
mock reality show, Joe Schmo 2, and has made appearances on the shows The Greatest Canadian
The Greatest Canadian
Officially launched on April 5, 2004, The Greatest Canadian was a television program series by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to determine who is considered to be the greatest Canadian of all time, at least among those who watched and participated in the program...
and 50 Most Outrageous TV Moments. In 2005 he played Mike in Dirty Love
Dirty Love
Dirty Love is a 2005 comedy written by and starring Jenny McCarthy and directed by John Mallory Asher. At the time of filming McCarthy and Asher were married, they divorced the month the film went into wide release...
, a romantic comedy starring Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
playmates Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
and Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
that held six nominations for the 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards
2005 Golden Raspberry Awards
The Golden Raspberry Awards are given to the worst movies of the year. The nominations for the 26th annual Golden Raspberry Awards were announced on January 30, 2006...
and won the award for Worst Picture.
He also played Shane McKay, Emma Nelson
Emma Nelson
Emma Nelson is a fictional student on the Degrassi: The Next Generation television series, having originated in the series' precursor, Degrassi Junior High. She is portrayed as an adolescent and adult by Miriam McDonald....
's biological father on Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
. Torrens had a recurring role as J-Roc on the television series Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
. He also appeared in both of the Trailer Park Boys movies. In November and December 2008 Jonathan was the guest host of several episodes of the CBC radio show Definitely Not the Opera
Definitely Not the Opera
Definitely Not the Opera is a magazine-style radio program focusing on aspects of pop culture. The program is broadcast on CBC Radio One on Saturday afternoons, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. . An abridged version of each weekly program is available for download as a weekly podcast...
.
In 2008 he appeared in the award-winning short film Treevenge
Treevenge
Treevenge is a short film written and directed by Jason Eisener, and produced by Yer Dead Productions. Shooting started in November 2007, and ended in February 2008. Post-production was completed in June 2008. The film stars Jonathan Torrens, Sarah E...
, directed by Jason Eisener.
In 2009, Torrens debuted in his own television show called TV With TV's Jonathan Torrens on Canadian specialty network TVtropolis
TVtropolis
TVtropolis is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media and Rogers Media.The channel operates two time shifted feeds: East and West .-Programming:...
. As of 2010, Torrens is one of the co-hosts of the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Wipeout Canada
Wipeout Canada
Wipeout Canada is a reality television series in which multiple contestants compete in numerous obstacle-based challenges. The series is produced by TVtropolis and premiered on that channel on April 3, 2011...
, which also airs on TVtropolis.
External links
- Jonathan Torrens: He's Still Jono November 2005 Interview
- Ion Magazine September 2005 Interview
- Jonathan Torrens: Jonovision 2002 Interview